Ahh the wonders of VIA chipsets. Try updating the ACPI and stuff, power the machine completely off and unplug the power supply cable for a few seconds. Then reboot it and see if it comes up. I have that board and it's finicky about reloading the ACPI tables. It does this with keyboards too, super annoying.

what drivers are you using ?

Davros wrote:

what drivers are you using ?

Tried all of the ones on 3DLabs website.

do you have the wildcat control panel

and did you run the configuration wizard ?

from the manual
Verifying under Windows NT
1. From the operating system Start menu, go to Settings/Control Panel/System.
2. Click the Startup/Shutdown tab.

3. Verify that Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0 is selected in the Startup list. If it is not,
select it from the list and click Apply.
NOTE: Do not select the VGA version of the operating system. The video display runs in
VGA mode when the Wildcat III 6210 or Wildcat III 6110 graphics driver is not
running.
4. Click OK to close the System dialog box.

Verifying under Windows 2000
1. From the operating system Start menu, go to Settings/Control Panel/System/Advanced.
2. Click Startup and Recovery.
3. On the Startup and Recovery dialog box, verify that "Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" is the listed as the Default operating system. It is IMPORTANT that your
operating system matches the driver you installed. Click OK.
4. Click OK again to close the System Properties dialog box.

I don't, and what wizard? I'm just running the setup installer from their website.

Doesn't work on XP and the system is stuck in 4bit colour mode. I've never actually seen XP do that before.
Yet device manager says it's installed properly, the setup leaves a log that says it installed properly, and why the heck would it get this far- but no further- if it was broken?

Tried it in a CUSL2-C, broken there too.
I just don't get it. Why does it work in 8bit mode- but nothing else? I have never seen or heard of this before. If it's broken, why isn't it /broken/?

All mine wildcats worked fine on mine VIA KT133A chipset and Windows XP. So don't think that problem is there (maybe only if you didnt installed VIA chipset driver). I would try cleaning cards contacts and also AGP port. Might be only bad connection of one pin.

I'll give it a try. I did install drivers first, and the CUSL2 is an Intel board it also failed on.
What bios settings could potentially effect this? AGP aperture and 1/2/4x doesn't seem to affect it.
I swear the card looks absolutely pristine and the way it sorta works is the most confusing thing ever.

E: According to google this came out of a Compaq Evo workstation. I can't find a link to HPs drivers- could they differ in some way?

vlask could you send him a known working driver ?

I would quite appreciate that.
For now I'm just packing it in and assuming this doesn't work. Two boards, same problem- something isn't right. I've never seen XP force 8-bit mode, even on default SVGA it gets 16 bit.

My long-term idea is that I'm breaking up my systems into a PIII "1990s Proper" with a TNT2 and a PIII-Tualatin "Extreme 1990s" for stuff that needs extra juice. I was gonna use this in the latter but I have a 7600GS that can do- this is just more interesting.

Davros wrote:

vlask could you send him a known working driver ?

I always used drivers from 3Dlabs - never had a problem with them....(only one intergraph i have is dead - no image)

http://www.3dlabs.com/content/Legacy/drivers/ … riverSelect.asp

Well that's what I was using so welp.

Would messing with the VID jumper change anything? I could try but I'm scared of that lighting everything on fire so I'm gonna ask.

Specifically the Voltage I/O jumper which doesn't appear to be the CPU voltage, but is instead the voltage supplied to the board.